12/17/2004

While I was applying to get insurance coverage for our house, the insurance agent and I had the following conversation:

Agent: "In accordance with the Patriot Act, are you and your wife both American citizens?"
Me: "Umm....yes. [pause] So I guess a lot of terrorists are signing up for home insurance these days?"
Agent: "Well, we have to refuse to write coverage for persons from certain geographic areas."
Me: "What areas?"
Agent: "I can't reveal that information; although I will say that most of them are in the Middle East."
Me: "So if my wife was Saudi Arabian or Iraqi you wouldn't give us house insurance."
Agent: "We wouldn't write the policy, no."
Me: "That's terrible."
Agent: "Yeah. We refused coverage a week ago to a couple because the wife was Cuban, even though she had been in America for 20 years."
Me: "Are you serious? That's unbelievable."
Agent: "Yeah."

What the hell is going on in this country people? THIS IS INSANE!!!!!!!

12/14/2004

The home and termite inspections turned out about typically for a 53-year-old house. Needs: new windows, new furnace (although it could hang in there for quite a while, you never know), paint to cover up the lavender walls. Nothing too crazy, thank goodness. The electrical systems were pretty top notch, with proper grounding and no aluminum wiring anywhere (woo hoo!).

Now we just have to pay more money than we ever have for anything and close on this sucka.

Thanks to Jen, Gabe, Anne, Sarah, and Jane for the comments....we miss you guys terribly and of course you are all ALWAYS welcome to visit scenic Silver Spring! (You may want to check out our humble neighbor, Washington, DC, while you're here....he he.)